Chocolate Brownie Recipe

Chocolate brownies are as well known to desert-lovers as ice cream. In fact, the two go together quite nicely. The first brownie was advertised in the 1897 Sears catalog. An accidental discovery, they were invented when an American baker accidentally left out the baking powder in a cake recipe. The chocolate brownie got its name from, you guessed it, the chocolate brown color. A brownie is welcome year around, for dessert, an after-school snack or as an addition to a cookie gift basket.

So popular is the chocolate brownie that those little Easy-Bake ovens for children were created just to make brownies! Because the “ideal” brownie has the texture of a cookie, it fits into the category of bar cookies.  Some people prefer a cake-like texture, while others favor a firmer, fudge-like brownie. You'll find that there are hundreds of brownie recipes, but only a few will satisfy your qualifications for the perfect taste. The basic ingredients in the chocolate brownie are cocoa, flour, eggs, milk, and water. For those of you with dairy allergies, most brownie recipes aren't suitable. However, soy milk may be substituted for the milk if this is the case.

There are many variations on the classic chocolate brownie recipe. Chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, carob chips or peanut butter chips make a richer tasting brownie, especially popular with kids and chocolate fiends. Peanut butter chips produce a chocolate brownie with a creamier taste. When using peanut butter chips, you'll need to decrease the baking time by a few minutes. There are also dark chocolate bars with a high cocoa content (up to 70%) that are velvety smooth and rich. Just break a 100-gram bar into small chunks and stir into the batter before baking. Walnuts or pecans are good in holiday brownies, as are marshmallow cremes.

When you add these extras to your chocolate brownie recipe, the resulting texture will be different. While some bake up spongy and cake-like, others will be rich and fudgy. The general rule is, the more liquids there are in the mix, the richer the brownie will become. Chocolate and peanut butter produce a chocolate brownie with a creamy consistency. If you desire a fluffier, cake-like brownie, reduce the liquids and chips and add more cocoa. The addition of a small amount of baking powder will create a delightfully spongy brownie.

For 110 years, the chocolate brownie has been a favorite of children and adults. Whether served as an everyday treat or as a special gourmet addition to a holiday gift basket, there's no doubt we'll be enjoying the chocolate brownie for generations to come.